tong
i
w
e ch
n a
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Figure 1 Jupiter
Class’s Christmas
science quiz DVD –
the opening shot
What happened next?
Making and using an interactive DVD quiz game
Jonny Sluman
shares how he
successfully
converted a
home game
into an exciting,
creative science
activity at
school
rounds included: a ‘quick fire’
question round, a ‘what happened
next’ round, a music round and
a ‘spot the difference’ round. The
game was a huge success and it
occurred to me that I could adapt
the idea for teaching science. I was
lucky enough to be able to put it
into practice with Jupiter Class
(ages 9–10) at Marldon C. of E.
Primary School, Devon, during
my first two-week teaching
placement in the autumn term.
The activity allows all the children
in the class to get involved and to
recall previous knowledge. After
the DVD has been made it can
be used again and again as a fun
science activity for different year
groups.
How it works
Key words:
Children’s
ideas
ICT
28
T
he interactive DVD idea
arose from a Christmas game
at a family get-together. We
were all challenged to create a fun
and exciting quiz game that all the
family could play. With the help
of some friends and some clever
editing, I managed to create an
interactive DVD quiz game. The
Primary Science 12 9 Sept/Oct 2013
The idea of the game is that it is a
creative teaching activity where
the children produce their own
science quiz incorporating science,
ICT, drama and literacy skills. The
children work in mixed-ability
groups to perform different
science experiments, and then
in pairs to ask science questions
that fit into different categories
(as described below) in front of
a video camera. Once the DVD
has been edited and then played
for the rest of the class or chosen
audience, each question is paused
to allow the class to think about
the correct answer. The answers
are then revealed at the end of
each question or at the end of a
group of questions.
Round 1: What happened
next?
For this round I took the children
out in groups of 4 or 5 to perform
and film different science
experiments, of which there were
six in total:
Raisins in lemonade.
Burning a candle at both ends.
Lava lamp made from baking
soda and vinegar and oil.
Egg placed into fresh water and
then into salt water.
Vinegar and bicarbonate into
a bottle with a balloon on top
(Figure 2).
Dropping same-size plastic
bottles containing different
volumes of water to see which one
hits the ground first (Figure 3).
what happened next?
between ice and liquid. Another
example asked the children to
label the forces on a moving
go-kart, which related back
to their earlier topic so was
consolidating their previous
learning. There are many other
images you could ask them
to complete, such as growing
plants in different conditions.
Rounds 3, 4 and 5:
Question rounds
For these rounds the children
were split into pairs and were
allowed to select a question
from the three areas of Life
processes, Materials and their
properties and Physical processes.
Given more time, I would have
set the children the task of
thinking up their own question
for a particular topic based
on what they already know
or they could research to find
the answer. This was filmed in
the same manner as the ‘what
happened next’ round.
Figure 2 Vinegar
and bicarbonate
in a bottle really
captured their
imagination, but
they had to get
the filming done
quickly so as not to
miss the action!
Introduction and ending
We filmed an intro to the quiz
with a few of the children,
once we had completed all
the rounds. They introduced
the quiz and then explained
what was going to happen
in each round. Each group
was introduced with their
pictures as with film titles (but
no names). The ending was
performed in similar fashion
with the children saying ‘thanks
for playing’ and ‘we hope you
enjoyed it’.
Figure 3
Dropping bottles
to explore
gravity
To begin with, I told the children
what the experiment involved
and then asked them to predict,
using whiteboards, what
they thought would happen
and explain why. They then
performed the experiment to see
whether their predictions were
correct and why. The children
then renamed each of their
experiments, making sure not
to give away in the name what
happened. Next, as a group, the
children had to prepare a script,
but they had to think of how to
turn it into a ‘what happened
next’ question and then how they
would reveal the answer with
Figure 4 The
children really
engaged with
using clapboards
to get into ‘movie
maker’ role!
an explanation. Any children
who did not want to perform on
camera, or were not allowed to,
took on the role of ‘producer’,
‘prompter’ or ‘cameraman’. I
also provided the children with
a movie ‘clapboard’ which they
could use at the start of each take
(Figure 4).
Round 2: Picture round
For this round I created a
series of pictures that showed
chemical processes such as the
changing states of water. The
question then asked the children
to label arrows with the correct
process, for example ‘melting’
Primary Science 12 9
Sept/Oct 2013
29
what happened next?
For younger children
This approach could be adapted
for younger children by using a
set of continuous pictures. For
example, with a dropping ball
the children can guess where the
ball will be in the next picture
and then, once it hits the ground,
where the ball will be in the
picture after that. It would be
quite easy to adapt each of the
rounds for younger children,
using, for example, multiplechoice questions or just true or
false. They could also do simple
experiments, such as which ice
cube will melt faster, one in the
fridge or one on the windowsill.
Supporting assessment
The DVD provides an excellent
opportunity for assessment,
both of the children who have
taken part in making the game
and of the children playing the
game. The DVD could always be
produced towards the end of the
school year to assess the children’s
learning throughout that year and
to reinforce previous learning.
30
Primary Science 12 9 Sept/Oct 2013
Next steps
This DVD was used for teaching
science, but there are many other
possibilities. It could be used
in a cross-curricular way with
each round relating to a different
subject. Each class could produce
their own set of questions to
play to all the other classes so it
becomes a whole-school activity.
The teachers in the school could
have a round where they ask
questions or create their own ‘what
happened next’. Perhaps the head
teacher could set the tie-breaker
question. Another possibility is for
a year 5 or 6 class to make a quiz
designed for children lower down
in the school, drawing on their
previous learning.
Conclusion
As my placement was for two
weeks towards the end of
the winter term, we added a
Christmas theme so the class
teacher could play it for the
children as a Christmas quiz.
The children thoroughly enjoyed
the DVD and felt they had
learnt something new about
science. In the short amount of
time that I had, I managed to
get all the filming done but had
to edit the DVD myself. If more
time had been available, the
children could have had a go at
using some editing software and
learning some new skills. The
DVD overall was a huge success
as the children enjoyed watching
themselves on the screen and
learning from each other. I think
the idea can be used effectively
as a creative teaching activity, not
just in science but other areas of
the curriculum too.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my school
placement partner Lizzie Cloke and
the staff and children in Jupiter Class
at Marldon C. of E. Primary School
in Devon for allowing me to put this
idea into practice.
Jonny Sluman is a PGCE
Primary Science Trainee at
Exeter University. Email:
[email protected]